Airlines clear mobiles for take-off

A new system that stops phones interfering with aircraft electronics means we can now make calls in flight, says Emma Smith

As many as two-thirds of passengers oppose the move but technology is about to open the way for mobile phone calls on aeroplanes.

The first passengers will be able to make and receive calls this summer. The Emirates airline will allow passengers to use mobiles on some flights to the UK, mainland Europe, Asia and Australasia "from the middle of the year", and Ryanair plans to allow phones on all its planes from July.

British Airways and Virgin Atlantic are considering adopting the service, using technology provided by AeroMobile, a British company. Qantas, the Australian airline, is about to begin a trial of a more advanced AeroMobile system, which will also allow the use of personal digital assistants, such as BlackBerrys, to send e-mails.

Passengers are currently forbidden from using mobile phones and, according to a Gallup poll, most would like it to stay that way. But the call to